Assessing Internet access and use in a medically underserved population: implications for providing enhanced health information services

Abstract

Background: The relationship between health information seeking, patient engagement and health literacy is not well understood. This is especially true in medically underserved populations, which are often viewed as having limited access to health information. Objective: To improve communication between an urban health centre and the community it serves, a team of library and information science researchers undertook an assessment of patients' level and methods of access to and use of the Internet. Methods: Data were collected in 53 face-to-face anonymous interviews with patients at the centre. Interviews were tape-recorded for referential accuracy, and data were analysed to identify patterns of access and use. Results: Seventy-two percentage of study participants reported having access to the Internet through either computers or cell phones. Barriers to Internet access were predominantly lack of equipment or training rather than lack of interest. Only 21% of those with Internet access reported using the Internet to look for health information. Conclusion: The findings suggest that lack of access to the Internet in itself is not the primary barrier to seeking health information in this population and that the digital divide exists not at the level of information access but rather at the level of information use.

The Role of eHealth in Optimizing Preventive Care in the Primary Care Setting

“…As described earlier, there are many features that can be built into the design of eHealth programs such as the use of language, layout, and graphics that can mitigate poor health literacy. As the digital divide narrows, the issue of how to ensure that information can be understood and applied by a wide range of people is likely to become increasingly prominent [77,78]. A client-centered approach that maximizes the user’s experience of interacting with the technology and enhances its ease of use is needed.…”

Predictors of eHealth Usage: Insights on The Digital Divide From the Health Information National Trends Survey 2012

“…However, the limited number of published studies focused on use of the Internet for health point to noted communication inequalities or differences in use and engagement across important racial and social groups [18,22,31]. For example, those in the lowest income and education brackets are shown to be considerably less likely to seek out health information online compared to those in higher income and education brackets.…”

The Relationship of Health Literacy With Use of Digital Technology for Health Information: Implications for Public Health Practice

“…Experts now refer to a second-level divide related to capability of usage and a third-level divide, which concerns usage outcomes. 5,6 There is a growing need to focus on how well individuals are able to understand and utilize health information obtained individually through digital sources to make decisions about their health and health behavior and to navigate the health care system. 7 Health literacy has been defined as "the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, understand, and communicate about health-related information needed to make informed health decisions."…”